Sir Jim Ratcliffe told Zinedine Zidane would turn down Man Utd in new claim

French legend Zinedine Zidane would never manage Manchester United as he doesn't speak English.

That's the claim from former Le Blues international William Gallas, who also states that UK football fans should forget about the prospect of the icon ever managing in England. Zidane has been heavily linked with the top job at Old Trafford as doubts over Erik ten Hag linger despite the Dutchman only signing a new contract in the summer.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been eager to stamp his authority on United since becoming part-owner and many feel he now wants to place his own man in the managerial hot seat after United's continued struggles just three games into the new season. While numerous names were tipped to succeed Ten Hag at the end of the last campaign, it's believed Zidane would be a key candidate for the INEO's chief.

However, former Chelsea defender Gallas doesn't believe the ex-Real Madrid manager would ever put himself in a situation where there is a language barrier between himself and his players. Zidane, who has been without a club since leaving Madrid in 2021, has been linked with a host of top teams around Europe, however Gallas thinks he knows what position the former Juventus star is waiting for.

‌"Manchester United fans should forget about Zinedine Zidane, he won’t take the job and the main reason is that he doesn’t speak English," Gallas told Gambling Zone.

"He won’t want to put himself in that situation where he would need to learn the language and I think that’s fair. He needs the players to understand what he expects from them and to have that relationship where he can have fun and joke around. He won’t accept the job if an offer came in and I don’t think we will see him in the Premier League anytime soon."

‌The former Arsenal and Spurs star also suggested that the 52-year-old is waiting for the call from his country, now that he has conquered the domestic game, he added: "I think he is still waiting for the France national team job. He won everything there is to win with Real Madrid and he only has one job on his mind now."

Zidane has previously said that while he does have a grasp of the English language, he doesn't feel it's as strong as it would need to be to relocate to the UK. In an interview with L'Equipe he said: "Would I want to go to Manchester (United)? I understand English, but I'm not completely fluent in it. I know that there are coaches who go to clubs without speaking the language, but I work in a different way."

Zidane's managerial credentials were given stratospheric levels of credibility following his time at Real Madrid. The World Cup winner took over the club in January 2016 and went on to win the Champions League against city rivals Atletico in his maiden season.

He then guided his team to two more consecutive Champions League victories in 2017 and 2018. Beyond their European triumphs, Zidane also led Real Madrid to the LaLiga title in the 2016-17 season.

His tenure also spearheaded Madrid to two FIFA Club World Cup titles and two UEFA Super Cups. He then stepped down from Madrid in 2018 citing that he needed a change.

However, his break from the game was short-lived and less than a year later Zidane returned to Real Madrid and led the club to yet another La Liga title in 2020.

Since leaving Real Madrid, Zidane has turned down several high-profile roles, including offers from Bayern Munich and various national teams. However any United fans hoping for the Frenchman to come to Old Trafford look set to be disappointed.

While the former Champions League winner has hinted he would return to management if the right opportunity presented itself, it now remains unlikely that it will be at United, or with any other Premier League based club.